Viewer Demands
by tdccduck
Summary: AU where Free! is not an anime, but a TV series, and by popular demand, MakoHaru is written into the plotline. Do their relationship dynamics change in real life as well...?
1. Chapter 1: Awkward

**A.N- I do not own Free! or any of the characters. That's all!**

Makoto sighed as he stepped into the studio. _Just another day at work._ Of course, your sense of "just another day" changes when you are an actor in a 1,000,000+ viewers TV series. But Makoto felt strange about going into work today.

It wasn't the show, Free! was one of his best acting jobs ever.

It wasn't the cast. He got along really well with Nagisa, the mischievous blonde, Nagisa's polite boyfriend Rei who was obsessed with beautiful things, and Haruka. Since the show started, he and Haru had not only been best friends on the screen, but in real life too. Haru, with his blunt remarks and monotone voice, didn't sound like the sort of person you could become close with, but Makoto saw the person inside, and he liked what he saw. No, it definitely wasn't the cast.

It wasn't the managing team. The director and producers were easy going , and not strict like directors Makoto had had in the past.

It was that he had heard some rumours, and desperately wanted them to be false.

"Ah, Mako-chan, here you are!" cried Nagisa, with Rei behind him. Since they first got together, the viewing audience demanded that they get together in the series as well. They didn't mind coming out, as more people ship yaoi than you would think. "The director was wondering where you were, he wanted to start on time today, as he has a pretty big announcement!"

"Hello, Makoto-senpai." said the bespectacled boy, smiling. Even though Makoto had told him countless times not to, Rei still called him senpai even when not on screen insisting that "not saying it felt wrong." "Where's Haru, Rei?"

"Here" said the boy himself, walking up to stand next to Makoto.

"Me and Rei-" ("Rei and I," corrected the blue-haired boy,) "Rei and I - happy now?- are going to get some coffee. Back in a sec!" said Nagisa, dragging Rei away by the hand.

"What's up with that?" asked Makoto. Haruka just shrugged.

"Anyway, apparently the director's got a big announcement, do you have any ideas about what it might be?"

"No clue" said Haru, as sparing with his words as ever.

Just then Nagisa and Rei came back with four mugs of coffee, and the director walked into the room.

"For you, Haru-chan and Mako-chan." whispered Nagisa, handing them a mug each.

"So, as you all know, the ship ReiGisa became canon recently." started the director.

 _This couldn't be anything to do with those rumours I heard, could it_? Makoto thought, taking a sip.

"The viewers decided that they wanted another canon relationship."

 _God, no, please._

"And, as you also know, our viewers bring in the money you eat with."

 _Let it be SouRin. Or RinTori. Or SeiGou. Or MomoTori. Just, please..._

"So the writers and producers have decided to make the MakoHaru ship canon, with a confession scene that we will be filming today."

 _Damnit._

The only thing to break the silence that had reigned in the past minute was Nagisa's whispered, "This is going to be awkward."

 **I know, I know, it's short, but what do you think? Do the characters sound believable?**

 **Feel free (geddit?) to correct me on any errors made!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Why?" asked Haru, ever the calm one. However, his cobalt eyes were a bit too bright to be as calm as he seemed.

 _He's probably a bit annoyed_ , Makoto thought. _Anyone who has to kiss their best friend on the TV would be._

"It's because you're both hot and girls will get nosebleeds seeing you together." Nagisa said matter-of-factly.

"Nagisa!" cried Rei, scandalised.

"Ah, you know I love you Rei-chan." said Nagisa, snuggling up to Rei's side.

Beside Makoto, Haru started muttering about "PDA" and "at least wait till you get home."

"Right," Makoto said determinedly, taking out his script, "The sooner we get this done the better." He and Haru then proceeded to sit down and practise their lines together.

*timeskip brought to you by Haruka's hidden blush*

"Nanase, Tachibana, you stand here. Hazuki, Ryugazaki, you walk along here, holding hands. Hazuki, cuddle up to your boyfriend as much as humanly possible. Remember, you tease him, take his glasses, try to tickle him, just annoy him." the director ordered.

"I have no problem with that." Nagisa said with a grin that reached his ears.

"Ryugazaki, you put up with it. Got that?"

"Yes sir." replied Rei, sighing as Nagisa ruffled his blue hair.

"OK, lights, camera... Action!"

The four boys walked together along the set, Nagisa cuddling up to Rei, who looked exasperated.

"Well, Mako-chan, Haru-chan, this is where we leave." exclaimed Nagisa, looking as if he was trying to disappear into Rei's side.

"Indeed it is. Farewell, Haruka-senpai, Makoto-senpai!"

"Have fun!" Nagisa said, winking at Makoto.

"Nagisa!" cried Makoto and Rei simultaneously, and Rei took the blonde's arm and dragged him away.

Haruka and Makoto kept walking, and Haru shivered on cue.

"Haru, are you OK? Do you need my jacket?"

Haru tried to protest, but Makoto was already taking off his jacket and draping it around Haruka's shoulders.

They kept walking until they reached the stairs.

 _OK, remember your lines Makoto._

"Goodnight, Makoto." Haru said, turning to walk up the stairs, but a hand on his wrist stopped him.

 _You can do this._

"Wait, Haru!"

 _Put as much emotion into it as possible._

"I... have something to tell you. I have a crush on you, I have for a long time now."

 _Like you mean it._

"I know that you only think of me as a friend, and I'm not expecting anything to change-"

He was stopped by a finger on his lips.

 _Now the kiss. You've got this._

As Haruka's face got closer to his own, he found himself caught up in his intense blue eyes, and the lovely way his black hair framed his face, and...

 _Snap out of it, you're acting._

Then he felt Haru's lips on his own.

They were surprisingly warm and soft, and Makoto liked it. Instinctively, his hands went to the back of Haruka's head, stroking the silky hair there, and his eyes closed. Then they broke apart, and Makoto just wanted to tug Haru back to him and kiss him again...

 _Damnit Makoto, you're ACTING. Follow the script!_

"God, I love you." Makoto whispered. Then he froze. "I'm sorry Haru-chan, you don't have to-"

Again he was interrupted by Haru getting on his tiptoes to kiss him.

"It's OK," he said, burying his face into Makoto's shoulder. "I love you too. And drop the -chan."

Makoto grinned. "I love you Haru, I love you so much!" he cried, picking Haru up and spinning him around.

This was Nagisa and Rei's cue. They crept back, unnoticed by Haruka and Makoto, Nagisa with a phone in hand. Rei was feverishly whispering, "Nagisa, this is a bad idea, think about how angry Haruka-senpai will be when he finds out..."

Nagisa wasn't listening. "Rei-chan, I got the perfect picture!"

Makoto and Haru heard this, and started yelling at the two second-years, while Rei tried to explain that he did attempt to discourage his boyfriend, but it didn't work.

"And cut!" the director shouted, with tears in his eyes. "That love scene was wonderful! Tachibana, you had me believing that that kiss was real. But Nanase, that was a stellar performance from you, anyone would think that you two were actually in love."

Both boys blushed, though Makoto's was more noticeable.

"Mako-chan, Haru-chan, come to my house to celebrate!"

But Makoto was confused as to the day's events, and he needed to sort things out in his head.

"Sorry, Nagisa, I think I'm coming down with something, I need to rest it off so I can come back to work tomorrow."

"Get better soon, Makoto-senpai." said Rei kindly, but Makoto was looking at Haruka, who said nothing out loud, but his eyes said, **Are you OK?**

 **I'm fine,** Makoto conveyed through his eyes. **At least, I will be.**

 _When I figure out why the hell I want to kiss my best friend._

 **A.N- Here's the next chapter guys, I hope you like!**

 **I really enjoyed reading your reviews, it's nice to know that people want to read this.**

 **If you didn't notice, italics are what Makoto's thinking, and bold is what the lovebirds are saying to each other without speaking.**

 **Feel free to correct me on any errors made!**


	3. Chapter 3: Surprise

When Makoto got home, he sat down and had a think. What had happened that day confused him, and he had a little conversation with himself in the privacy of his own head.

 _You've had kiss scenes before, but you've never felt like this._

 _Maybe it's because he's a boy. I've never kissed a boy before._

Makoto decided that was the reason, and stood up to make himself some dinner. Then he had another thought.

 _That doesn't explain why you wanted to kiss Haru again._

 _Ah! Maybe because I was nervous, and my brain released a lot of chemicals, and made me think that I wanted to kiss him..._

 _I'm overthinking it aren't I?_

Makoto decided it was nothing to worry about, and went into the kitchen to make his favourite dish, green curry. As he was preparing the ingredients, his phone rang. He went to pick it up, smiling as he saw who the caller was. Predictably, it was Nagisa.

"Hello Nagisa."

"Mako-chan! How are you feeling?"

Makoto was confused for a second, then he remembered that he had used not feeling well as an excuse for not going to Nagisa's party.

"Yeah, I'm feeling a little better, I think I'll be able to come into work tomorrow if I rest for a bit."

"Speaking of work..."

Makoto had known that Nagisa was keen to talk about that scene since he had picked up the phone.

He sighed. "Go ahead."

"I wish I'd had a scene like that with Rei-chan! I'd love to kiss him like you did Haru-chan! It was so passionate and it looked so real!"

"You can kiss him like that Nagisa. He is only your boyfriend, after all." But on the inside, Makoto was concerned. So it showed that he was liking the kiss...

"Yes, but I can't do it on the show!"

Of course show-off Nagisa would like to kiss his boyfriend where everyone could see.

"But the director said to just hug! Because "I'm too innocent"..."

Makoto smiled. Anyone who knew Nagisa would know that he was not innocent at all. Nagisa ceased his grumbling. "Anyway, I'm getting off topic. Haru-chan left the party early, said he was going to your house."

"OK Nagisa. Thanks for calling. I need to get back to dinner now, sorry..."

"OK, bye Mako-chan!"

"Bye!"

As Makoto hung up, a knock sounded at the door.

 _Haru!_

 _Wait, why am I getting so excited?_

He opened the door to let Haruka in, and he was taken aback.

Haru's deep blue eyes were bright, his dark hair tousled, and his cheeks flushed a pink colour from the cold. In Makoto's eyes, at that moment, he looked...

 _Beautiful._

"I came to see how you were." said Haru, stepping through the door. "You were lying about being ill, weren't you?"

"Yeah, I was." mumbled Makoto sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I just couldn't face one of Nagisa's parties, you know?" he said, while trying to clear his head of the _totally inappropriate_ thoughts to have about one's _best friend_.

Haruka stepped into the kitchen and saw the ingredients for green curry laid out upon the counter.

"Oh yeah, I was going to cook, wasn't I?" exclaimed Makoto, following him.

"Sit down and I'll do it." said Haru.

"That's OK, Haru, you don't have to-" Makoto gulped as he was fixed with an intense stare.

"I want to."

*timeskip brought to you by Haru's awesome cooking*

"Thank you so much Haru-chan!" Makoto cried as a plate was set down in front of him.

Haruka merely said, "Drop the -chan." as he sat down beside him.

"Mmmm, it tastes so good, Haru! My cooking can never be as good as yours!"

Makoto found himself imaging what it would be like having Haru cook for him _every day_ , just having him _there_ all the time, _by his side_...

Then Makoto found the reason as to why he had been feeling strange all day.

He had a crush.

On Haru.

His best friend.

Makoto didn't know if Haruka even liked guys.

Hell, he hadn't known himself until now.

Makoto decided to keep it a secret.

 _I'll act like his boyfriend on the show, and if that's all I can get, it'll be enough._

 **A.N- Tiny bit (like a smidge) of angsty Makoto. Also, it's a total headcanon of mine that Makoto's really nervous about ending calls with his friends.**

 **So what did you think? Did it seem believable?**

 **Feel free to correct me on any errors made!**


	4. Chapter 4: Don't Get the Wrong Idea

"Haruka-senpai!" cried Gou, running to the pool. "At least wait until I've finished before you jump in the pool! I'm not done talking about the prefecturals!"

"I don't care about winning anyway." said Haru, as ever, and Makoto made a smile cross his face as he stood at the side.

They were filming a scene in the studio at that moment, and Makoto was smiling, but he, for the most part, was sad inside. Every day, his crush on Haruka got bigger and harder to contain, and he was feeling the strain of it. He would keep reminding himself that if he told Haru, it would _ruin_ their friendship, because _obviously_ Haru didn't like him in that way, he probably didn't think of _any_ boys like that. But still, Makoto kept smiling, because that's the person he was, and he wouldn't let his emotions affect anyone else.

 _Besides, I have the show, don't I? Even if it's not real, I can pretend, and that makes me happy._

Makoto took his cue and got into the water.

"I'm going to see if your times have improved." Gou exclaimed. "Makoto-senpai, you're up first! Three, two, one, GO!"

Makoto pushed himself backwards underneath the water, focusing on nothing but swimming as he made his way back up to the surface. He used his long arms to power himself, as he thought about whether Haruka was watching him...

 _Stop that train of thought right there._

Makoto hit the turn, and motored back to the starting blocks, where Gou was waiting with a stopwatch.

"Well done, Makoto-senpai, you beat your personal best! Now you, Haruka-senpai!"

"I don't want to." said Haru.

Makoto looked at him and said, "Please, Haru-chan?"

"Drop the -chan." grumbled Haru, but he got out of the water and stood on the starting block all the same.

"Three, two, one, GO!" Gou cried.

Makoto watched as Haru dived into the water, an obvious look of admiration on the former's face, but he wasn't just doing it for the audience.

 _Haru looks beautiful this way_ , he thought.

Before Makoto knew it, Haruka had finished, and Gou was congratulating him on a new personal best, saying, "why is everyone swimming so fast today?"

Haru shrugged, and matter-of-factly voiced exactly what the script had told him to.

"I did it because Makoto wanted me to."

Makoto visibly blushed; he knew it was just an act, but he allowed himself to pretend, _just this once_ , that what they were not doing was not fabricated, but real life.

After having finished their scene, Makoto walked into the changing room, looking for Haruka, and found Nagisa sat on Rei's lap, kissing him passionately.

Makoto turned right round again and got the hell out of there.

As he walked up a corridor, he heard Gou's voice.

"You see, Haruka-san ( _at least Gou doesn't call us senpai in real life like Rei does_ , Makoto thought),I've had a crush on you for about a month."

Makoto's heart sank. _He's going to say yes_ , he thought.

"It took me a while to find the courage to tell you, and you don't have to give an answer just yet-"

Then Haru spoke.

"I'm sorry Gou-san, but I can't go out with you."

Makoto's heart went back to its proper place.

"You see, I already like somebody else."

Then Makoto turned and walked away as fast as he could, blindly wiping the tears from his eyes.

 **HARU POV**

"Haruka-san, who is it that you like then?" Gou asked.

Haru weighed up the pros and cons of telling her, but decided to just do it.

 _After all, what harm could it do?_

"Haruka-san-"

"It's Makoto." Haru said, turning away to find the object of his affections, inspired by Gou's courage, and mentally preparing himself to do the same thing.

 **A.N- I was really stuck on what to write for this chapter, and... I just kind of ended up writing this.**

 **Should I end the story next chapter, or hold it off for another chapter or so?**

 **Again, your reviews give me reason to continue this. Thank you so much for the lovely things you've written, it really makes my day.**

 **Feel free to correct me on any errors made!**


	5. Chapter 5

**MAKOTO POV**

Makoto walked home, embracing the hard-hitting rain mixing with the salt water leaking from his eyes.

 _Haru likes someone._

 _I suppose I knew it would happen eventually._

 _I'm going to have to watch him with his girlfriend, wishing it could be me..._

 _There's no point telling him about my feelings, it would hurt both of us._

 _I knew I wouldn't anyway, but part of me hoped..._

Makoto took his key and unlocked the door, walking inside and collapsing onto the sofa.

 _I can't act sad in front of Haru. He'll want to know what's wrong, and he'll be hurt if I don't tell him._

The mere thought of hurting Haruka pained Makoto.

 _Well, then, I'll need to work on my acting skills._

Makoto laughed at the thought that he could act something entirely surreal to perfection, and yet was miserably lacking when it came to hiding his emotions.

 _No time like the present to start._

He fixed a smile onto his face, walked into the kitchen, and put a pot of tea on. After all, everybody knows that tea is a cure-all remedy. Then he picked up his phone, and texted Nagisa.

 **Get a room next time, will you Nagisa? The dressing room is not for making out.**

 **Delivered 17:52**

He made sure to keep it light and humorous, and the complete opposite to what he felt. Makoto decided that he was going to go to bed with his cup of tea, and sleep off his sorrow. He'd probably dream of Haru as well, which had become a regular occurrence since Makoto had realised his feelings. He had just got under the covers when his phone emitted dolphin noises, meaning that the caller was...

 _Haru._

 _He never uses his phone... I wonder what's up?_

Makoto was tempted to ignore it, because he _just couldn't_ face Haruka at the moment, but he knew that if he ignored the call, when it was important enough a situation for him to actually call someone, then Haru would get hurt.

He, Makoto, would let Haru get hurt _over his dead body._

"Hello, Haru-chan, this is a surprise."

"Drop the -chan." said Haruka in his usual voice, but just hearing it sent warmth flooding through Makoto's body. "I'm coming over."

 **HARU POV**

"I'm coming over." he said, trying to keep his voice as neutral as he could, to stop the anxiety spreading through his veins from showing.

 _I. Am. Confessing. To Makoto._

 _He doesn't like me back._

 _But I'll do it anyway._

Haruka was determined to do this, and once he set his mind to it, he did everything he wanted to. Right now he was walking to Makoto's apartment, barely paying heed to the rain as he thought about whether he should have eaten some mackerel before he set out.

 **MAKOTO POV**

"OK. Haru's coming over. I need to get dressed again. The green top, yeah, the green one."

Makoto put on said top.

"OK, that looks disgusting, take it off again. Wait, I should probably stay casual, shouldn't I?"

He decided to keep the top, wincing as he looked at himself in the mirror.

Then he heard a knock on the front door.

"Coming, Haru!" he called as he walked to the door and opened it.

Haruka stood there, soaked through with water and shivering.

"Haru-chan, you need to look after yourself better! Why didn't you take an umbrella with you?" Makoto cried as he ushered Haru inside and started taking off his coat.

Haru didn't even say "Drop the -chan."

If Makoto had looked up from his work (which, at the moment, was taking off Haru's coat) he would have seen that Haruka was blushing and biting his lip embarrassedly.

"I'll go find a shirt for you, and some trousers. Then you can change in the bathroom." he said over his shoulder, walking into his bedroom, and fishing an orange shirt and some too-small trousers out of the bottom of his wardrobe.

"Here you are Haru-" He walked back into the living room and saw that Haruka had _taken his shirt off._

He was unable to finish his sentence as he stood there, staring. Fortunately for him, Haru was facing the other way.

"Uhhh, you can go into the bathroom now." he stammered, shoving the pile of clothes at Haru, and went into the kitchen to make another pot of tea.

As the tea finished, Haruka came out of the bathroom, with the t-shirt hanging off one shoulder, and trousers riding low on his hips.

 _Haru, do you know how irresistible you look right now?_ Makoto thought, turning away quickly.

They sat down, with mugs of tea in their hands, as Haru said, "I came here to talk to you about something."

 _It's going to be the Gou thing, Makoto thought._

"Today, Gou-san asked me out."

 _I knew it._

"I said no."

 _He's going to talk about who he likes, isn't he? I can't stand it._

"I said that because I like someone else."

 _He's going to ask me to be a wingman, or something. I can't do it._

"Makoto, I like you."

 _WHAT!?_

"Sorry, I don't think I heard that last bit correctly." Makoto said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

 _There's no way he said what I thought he said._

"I like you. I might even love you."

Makoto was speechless.

 _So all the time I've been trying to hide it, he's felt the same way about me?_

His train of thought was stopped by lips upon his own. They were soft, like before, and just as warm, but this time, there was a big difference.

Makoto knew that the owner of those lips _loved_ him.

 _Haru is mine._

With a low growl, he pushed Haruka backwards, still keeping their lips attached, until Haru's back hit the sofa. He pulled away, and the shocked look Haru gave him, with his hair messed up and his cheeks pink, was the prettiest sight Makoto had ever seen.

"I love you too, Haru-chan."

Haruka was stopped from saying "Drop the -chan" when Makoto kissed him again.

 _Haru is mine._

 _I am his._

 _That's all that matters._

 **A.N- Well, that's the last chapter. Thank you so much for sticking with me, and supporting the MakoHaru throughout! Again, your reviews are so kind, I hope I live up to your expectations. I might write another MakoHaru fic, but I'll have to see if I have time.**

 **If you think anything was wrong with my ending, please let me know. I would like to improve, and constructive criticism for my work is appreciated as much as the praise!**


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